“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” —John 15:16

Have you ever looked at a map at shopping centre with a “YOU ARE HERE” marker? Wherever we stand in modern Australian society, chances are we’re not far from the option to choose what we will consume next. The interesting thing is that most of what we choose is not really even a choice, because most of what we “choose” has already been chosen for us by marketing and cultural trends.

This reality makes the words of Jesus here remarkable for their straightforwardness. “You did not choose me. I chose you.” Okay. Glad that’s out of the way. What next?“I handpicked you to go make good stuff—good relationships, good things, a good life.” Whoa!!!

So not only are we not the primary agents of our own destiny, but we’re supposed to go out and produce things that will last, not just consume what was made for the moment? If this isn’t a manifesto for a countercultural way to live, I don’t know what is. It looks like there’s nothing left but to embrace our chosen-ness and go make good.

Consider This:

Think of a time when you were picked for something cool. How did it make you feel?

Take Action:

Whistle a tune. Compliment someone. Give a smile. In other words, make good stuff happen today!